Teach more than Black History.
Build Character.

Inspire your students with stories of Black Excellence

Mary Cardwell Dawson (1894-1962), with her leadership skills and passion for opera, was the first Black American opera impresario, the founder of the Cardwell Dawson School, the Cardwell Dawson Choir, and the trailblazing National Negro Opera Company. This lesson takes students to an era when civil rights activism and artistic ambition combined. Mary’s leadership skills and passion for opera paved the way for hundreds of Black performers to launch or expand their musical careers.

The Woodson Center’s Black History curriculum is designed to educate K-12 students of black Americans whose tenacity and resilience enabled them to overcome adversity and make invaluable contributions to our country. It also teaches character and decision-making skills that equip students to take charge of their futures. These lessons in black American excellence are free and publicly available for all.

About the Woodson Center

The Woodson Center’s mission is to empower community-based leaders to promote solutions that reduce crime and violence, restore families, revitalize underserved communities, and assist in the creation of economic enterprise.